Police raid 'nut rage' sister's office, over water-hurling scandal

By

Jennie Oh

Police investigators leave Korean Air headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday. The police searched for and seized evidence in relation to the case of the airline's executive Cho Hyun-min. Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, April 19 (UPI) -- Seoul police raided the offices of Korean Air on Thursday, delving into allegations that the younger heiress and executive of the company yelled and threw water or plum juice at an advertising firm employee.

According to Gangseo district police, inspectors confiscated Cho Hyun-min's computer and two of her mobile phones at the Korean Air headquarters in Northern Seoul, Chosun Ilbo reported.

They also raided the marketing firm where Cho's alleged victim is working, seizing mobile phones and a personal computer belonging to executive members who at the meeting where the suspected assault took place.

The police plan to determine whether the two sides had coordinated their stories and if any threats had been made to the marketing firm.

Authorities had procured audio files of the meeting the day before, and during their interviews, obtained testimony that two people had been hit by the water Cho allegedly hurled.

She has, so far, denied that she threw the cup at the employee's face, saying she pushed it toward the ground.

Neither of the victims have reportedly expressed the wish to seek a case against the heiress.

However, if she was found to have thrown the cup in the marketing employee's face, she could be charged with "special violence."

Police plan to call Cho in for questioning after scrutinizing evidence, Yonhap reported.

Cho has been suspended from her duties as executive of the nation's flag carrier, after three labor unions in the country demanded her removal.

Police booked her on Tuesday as a suspect of assault and banned her from leaving the country.

Cho is the sister of Cho Hyun-ah who made global headlines in 2014, after forcing a plane to return to the gate, and forced an employee to kneel and beg for forgiveness, over how macademia nuts were served.

The elder Cho was sentenced to a year in prison but was later freed, after an appeals court cleared her of the most of hampering an air route.